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2014 World Cup Picks: Belgium vs. Algeria Betting

Belgium
kick start their 2014 World Cup campaign against Algeria, one of the long shots
of the competition. Indeed, Belgium should get off to a flying start as the
odds on favourites to win Group H. Here’s a primer on this clash.

Belgium Hot FavouritesThis is the golden age for Belgium
football; endowed with a plethora of talented players, the Red Devils are
considered as one of the teams to spot at the 2014 FIFA World Cup with attractive
odds to go deep and win the competition proper. Underscoring those is a
relatively winnable group, in which they are the prohibitive favourites at -143
to win outright.

Russia and South Korea could potentially
give Belgium a run for their money in Group H. After all, we’ve already
witnessed several upsets in group play. Nowhere more so than in Group D: Costa
Rica, the so-called lightweights of Group D (or so odds makers had us believe)
are sat pretty atop the table, a section that contains heavyweights Italy,
England and Uruguay. Few would have predicted that outcome before the first
round was put to bed.

Belgium can’t take anything for granted,
even if odds makers are cornering this section in their camp. They must get off
to a solid start against Algeria, in order to underscore their value.
Otherwise, they’ll be forced to play catch-up in the next two rounds, which
isn’t going to be an ideal situation seeing that both Russia and South Korea
have a reasonable shot to advance into the knockouts.

Algeria Huge UnderdogsAlgeria are the indisputable underdogs of
Group H. Listed at +2000 to win the section and at +400 to simply advance, the
odds are stacked severely against them. Few expect Algeria to make an
impression in group play, let alone advance into the knockout stages. Then
again, few expected Costa Rica to get off to a flying start as they did. Could
Algeria take a page from Los Ticos?

That’s easier said than done, especially
when considering Belgium’s undeniable quality and star-studded bench. Still,
the Fennec Foxes have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They are after
three straight wins in friendly match play – 2-0 over Slovenia, 3-1 over
Armenia and 2-1 over Romania –and while odds makers mightn’t fancy their
chances, they could.

Belgium
vs. Algeria Match Betting Tips and PicksThe betting public is leaning towards a
Belgium win decidedly, which can be backed at -200 at Bet365. Betting trends
also show an overwhelming inclination towards a one-sided result, such as a 2-0
or 3-0 win by Belgium, both of which can be backed, respectively, at +600 and
+900 soccer odds at Bet 365. This is largely down to Belgium’s capable defence,
which conceded just four goals during qualification.

Since the business of qualifying was done,
Belgium went 3-1-2 in friendly action. They suffered defeats to Colombia (2-0)
and Japan (3-2), and drew with Ivory Coast (2-2). That said, they did win three
straight ahead of the World Cup –5-1 over Luxembourg, 2-0 over Sweden and 1-0
over Tunisia.

Very little action coming down the wire is
going towards Algeria, tipped at +750 to win outright at Bet365. Few believe
the Algerians are capable of registering such a big upset – make no mistake, it
would be a big upset given how favourable Belgium’s odds are to go deep in the
competition. The best most World Cup bettors seem to expect from Algeria is a goal – that is, to at least score
a goal in defeat. Indeed, a 2-1 defeat is on offers of +700 while a 3-1 defeat
is going for +1100. Still, there have been several upsets already in the
competition – for instance, Netherlands beating Spain; as well Costa Rica beating
Uruguay 3-1, when Los Ticos were matched at similar +700 odds to win outright. Perhaps
Algeria will be motivated to similar feats. It’s improbable, but not impossible.

World Cup Picks: Belgium to win outright at -200; 3-1 at +1100Other Recommended Picks: Belgium to win both halves at +110Over 2.5 at -125Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria) to score goal anytime +550; first goal at +1600Romelu Lukaku to score anytime goal at -120; first goal at +300